Running Out of Time
by TVObssessedGirl28
Summary: Inspired by the episode 'Not in Holby Anymore' when the mug falls to the groun and breaks. Ethan thinks his minds are playing tricks on him when he witnesses his hands shake, but is his mind really just playing with him?
1. Chapter 1

It happened in an instant. One minute the mug was in his hand, the next it was on the floor. On the floor in tiny pieces. Kneeling down on the carpet he attempted to put the mug back together again like a puzzle. Yet, as he was trying to fix the mug he kept peering down at his hands. They were still shaking slightly and he didn't know whether his hands were shaking because he was nervous or if it had to do with something else. Knowing there was a ticking time bomb inside of him just waiting to explode, Ethan believed it was the latter. Letting the pieces slip through his hands and fall to the floor again he held both palms up in front of his face. He felt tears form in the corner of his eyes and his breathing becoming laboured as he continued to stare at the uncontrolled shakiness. Praying that the uncontrolled movement would stop any minute, Ethan clenched his hands into fists. But, to no avail. The jerky movements carried on. In an attempt to stop the movements he began to thrash out, hitting them on the edge of the counter top.

Ethan carried on smashing his knuckles against the ledge when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist pulling him away. Struggling against whoever was dragging him away, Ethan tried remove himself from the hold. But, the hold on him was too tight and he could not get away.

"Ethan," he heard his brother say. "What on earth is going on?"

"It's none of your business!" Ethan snapped back.

Cal turned him around so they facing each other.

"What do you mean it's none of my business? I come here for my break when I find my brother smashing his knuckles against a ledge until they're bleeding and you tell me it's none of my business."

Not wanting to speak to Cal, Ethan knocked his hands from off his shoulders and backed away.

"Just leave me alone." Ethan told him.

Worried about this odd behaviour coming from his brother, Cal stepped towards him only to have Ethan move back again.

"I only want to help." Cal said. "And how am I supposed to help when you won't talk to me?"

"Well, what if I don't want your help?" Ethan hit back.

Cal was shocked. He didn't like the way Ethan was acting and worried that something had happened Cal knew he had to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"You may push me out as hard as you want to, Ethan." Cal began to say. "But, I'm not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what's going on."

Ethan raised his voice.

"I SAID IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"It is my business. You're my brother and I know something's happend. I want to help so why won't you tell me what's going on?"

Ethan wasn't going to relpy. Instead he just pushed past Cal and went back to work. Sighing as he tilted his head back, Cal knew he was going to have to get Ethan to talk to him even if he didn't want to. But, at this moment in time he knew Ethan wasn't in the mood to talk to him so he came up with a plan to find out what was up. And there was only one person who could help him.


	2. Chapter 2

For the next couple of hours of his shift, Cal noticed that Ethan was trying to avoid him in any way possible. Putting his plan into action, Cal finished treating a patient and then went to look for Charlie. Cal spotted him by the nurses' station writing up some paper work. Looking up, Charlie saw Cal heading his way. He stopped what he was doing and waited for Cal to speak. Sensing Charlie knew he wanted to talk to him, Cal began the conversation.

"I need some help." Cal started to say.

Charlie stood in silence waiting for Cal to carry on.

"I need you to talk to Ethan for me."

"Why?" Charlie inquired.

"He's been acting really strange today and I need you to find out what's wrong."

"But, you're his brother." Charlie pointed out.

"Exactly." Cal replied. "That's why he won't talk to me."

"If he won't talk to you, what makes you think he'll talk to me?" Charlie questioned.

"You have a way of getting people to open up. Once you'll get him to talk, he'll tell you."

Pausing for a few moments to think, Charlie eventually agreeed with Cal's request and told him he'd see what he could do. Charlie found Ethan on his break in the staffroom. Walking over to where he sat, he saw Ethan look at him. Seeing Charlie, Ethan stood up from the stool and went over to his locker pretending to get something out of it.

"Did Cal send you?" Ethan asked, still looking into his locker.

"What makes you think Cal sent me?" Charlie asked back.

"Well, he's had no luck in getting me to talk to him so he's asked you to see if you can."

"And why won't you talk to him?"

"I said to him so I'll say it to you. It's none of your business."

"Okay, it may not be my business, but Cal's worried about you. He only wants to help."

"But, I don't want his help."

"Come on, Ethan." Charlie tried to push him. "What's going on?"

Ethan shook his head.

"Nothing's going on."

As Ethan was about to shut the locker door he felt his hand gave another uncontrollable jerk. Hoping Charlie hadn't noticed, he quickly closed the door and walked out of the staff room. But, Charlie had noticed the slight movement Ethan's hand had made. Blocking the door way, Charlie stopped Ethan in his tracks.

"What?" Ethan asked, annoyed.

"How long have you had that jerkiness for?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ethan replied.

"I know you do know what I'm talking about." Charlie told him. "How long have you had it for?"

Ethan shrugged his shoulders.

"Couple of days, maybe."

"And you haven't told Cal?"

"No, why should I?"

"He needs to know."

"Needs to know what?"

"About the jerkiness."

"No, he doesn't. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing." Charlie responded.

"And how do you know it's not nothing?"

"Because I know."

Ethan was confused by Charlie's answer. He had no idea what Charlie was going on about.

"What do you know?" Ethan inquired.

"Your odd behaviour, jerkiness, lack of concentration, they're all symptoms." Charlie told him.

Ethan laughed half-heartedly.

"Symptoms of what?"

"Huntington's."


	3. Chapter 3

Ethan felt his breath being knocked out of him when he heard Charlie's answer. He hadn't expected to hear what he had just heard. Especially not from Charlie. Ethan thought no one else knew about his illness apart from Cal and Lily. Then it suddenly dawned on him that it all made sense. He remembered at the time when Emilie was admitted to hospital both his brother and Charlie kept going off when they needed to talk. They kept making sure he wasn't around to hear what their conversations were about. Charlie had also referred to Emilie as his mum when he had stormed out of the cubicle while treating her. At that moment Ethan remembered he did think it was odd that Charlie had referred to Emilie as his mum when he knew that his mum had died 2 years ago. He finally realised that Cal must have told him. Cal must have told Charlie everything including about his inheritance of the gene. When he realised that his brother must have talked to Charlie about what was going on, he felt a bubble of anger rise inside of him. Not wanting to cause an argument with Charlie, Ethan gently asked if he could be excused. Much to his surprise Charlie let him pass.

"HOW COULD YOU?" Ethan raised his voice as he walked up to Cal, who was stood by reception.

Cal was a bit taken aback by his brother's tone of voice.

"What are you talking about?" Cal asked.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"I honestly don't."

"Why don't you two go to the staff room. This is not an appropriate place for you to start an argument." Charlie said as he intervened.

Cal and Ethan walked to the staff room.

"What's going on, Ethan?" Cal wondered once they were inside the room.

"You told Charlie?" Ethan wanted to know.

"I told Charlie what?"

Ethan was getting annoyed with Cal.

"Will you stop answering my questions with more questions?" he said.

"Well, I would if you'd tell me what was going on?" Cal hit back.

"Did you tell Charlie about me having the gene?"

"No." Cal told him. "Why would you think that?"

"Then how does he know about the Huntington's? How does he know about mum?"

"I don't know. He must have figured it out. But, I honestly didn't tell him. Anyway why would Charlie mention the Huntington's?" Cal wondered.

"How should I know?"

Cal could tell by Ethan's answer that he was hiding something. Something that Charlie had worked out. Cal stepped towards his brother hesitantly.

"Eth, what's going on? What did you tell Charlie?"

"What makes you think I told Charlie anything?"

"Why else would we be arguing about whether or not I told Charlie?"

"We are not arguing."

"Oh, really?"

"Stop avoiding the question."

"What question is that?"

"You know perfectly well what question."

Ethan could feel the anger still inside of him. However, he didn't want to start an argument with his brother. It wasn't worth it. So he took a deep breath to calm himself down. The two of them stood in silence before Cal broke it.

"What's going on, Ethan? You're not yourself and I just want to know what's the matter so I can help."

"Like I said before I don't want or need your help."

"Please, Eth. This isn't like you." Cal begged.

But, Ethan didn't reply. Instead he walked passed Cal and went back to work. Cal sighed. What was going on with his brother? Why was he acting the way he was? Cal knew that if Ethan wasn't going to tell him what was wrong then he was going to have to get Charlie to do it. He knew that by asking Charlie to tell him what was going on Ethan, he was going behind his brother's back. On the other hand, Ethan couldn't use that as an excuse to be angry at him. He wasn't talking to him so technically it wasn't a betrayal of trust.


	4. Chapter 4

The day still wasn't going well for Cal. Ethan was still avoiding him and he hadn't got the chance to get Charlie alone to ask him what had happened between him and his brother. More patients were being admitted than they were being discharged. Everyone was feeling the strain as more patients came in. With the amount of people being brought in, Cal wondered if he'd ever get the chance to catch Charlie on his own. Eventually both he and Charlie managed to get a half hour break. Cal took this as an opportunity to talk to him about Ethan. In the staff room Charlie was busy waiting for the kettle to boil while Cal sat on a stool, his arms resting on the counter top.

"How does Ethan seem to you?" Cal asked as he watched Charlie pour the hot water into a mug.

"Haven't you seen him?" Charlie stated.

Cal shook his head as he took the second mug offered.

"He's still avoiding me. Even after we had that rather heated discussion."

"He may not be ready to talk now, but once he feels like it's the right time, I'm sure he'll talk to you. Just be patient."

"How am I supposed to be patient when I can clearly see something's going on with him? I just want to know."

"What makes you think he's told me about anything?" Charlie asked.

"You must have said something to him. Otherwise why would he accuse me of telling you about his…" Cal stopped before he could finish his sentence.

It suddenly dawned on him that Charlie couldn't have found out about Ethan's illness from his brother. Charlie noticed Cal's pause in mid sentence.

"Tell me about what?"

"Nothing."

Charlie realised what Cal was going to tell him so decided to confess that he already knew.

"Ethan has Huntington's, doesn't he?"

"How do you know?" Cal inquired.

"I figured it out."

"How?" Cal asked as he felt a tight knot form in his stomach.

Charlie knew it wasn't his place to tell Cal what he'd witnessed earlier on, but hearing Cal ask him that question he knew he had to. He also knew Ethan wasn't going to tell him any time soon.

"Charlie, what is it? What's happened?" demanded Cal when he realised Charlie was debating whether or not he should talk.

By the tone of his voice and the expression his face, Charlie could tell that Cal was really worried.

"Before I tell you what's going on, you must not get too worried."

"Worried about what?" Cal wondered.

"Now this may have nothing to do with his symptoms developing but, earlier on I noticed his hands were jerky."

Charlie's response caused the knot in his stomach to tighten even more and Cal understood what Charlie was trying say.

"No." Was all Cal could say.

"I know it's hard to believe, but considering he's inherited the gene and he's been acting odd as well as jerky movements, you need to accept that there is a possibility Ethan's symptoms have started."

Cal shook his head. While it did all add up he didn't want to accept what Charlie was saying. He didn't want to admit that this disease had finally begun, had finally exploded and was now slowly killing his brother. Cal suddenly felt light headed as his breath hitched. He placed both hands on top of the counter in order to calm his breathing down.

"Talk to him." Charlie ordered.

"He won't talk to me. If I know Ethan," Cal began to say. "He'll just shut down and push me away. He's already pushing me away."

"He's still going to need his big brother." Charlie reminded him.


End file.
